(At Mavuso Sports Centre)
Manzini Wanderers …….(0)0
Rangers ………………………(1)2
Gamedze 43’, Dludlu 90’ (OG)
MANZINI – New coach, old wounds and the same pain.
For Manzini Wanderers, change came on the touchline but not on the scoreboard.
Zenzele ‘Ace’ Dlamini’s first day in the dugout was meant to signal renewal. Instead, it echoed the recent past as Wanderers fell 2–0 to Rangers for the second time this season, extending their winless run to nine MTN Premier League matches.
Rangers, calm and clinical, waited for their moments, and when they came, they took them. Marksman Hleliso ‘Mane’ Gamedze struck just before the interval, and a cruel own goal at the death sealed Wanderers’ fate and Rangers’ sixth-place push on 26 points while the ‘Weslians’ remain rooted at the bottom with seven points.
As the final whistle pierced in Manzini , tempers spilled from the stands.
Wanderers supporters surged forward, baying at the match officials and blocking their path to the tunnel, forcing police to intervene and restore order using minimal force.
The contest began at a ferocious tempo, both sides locked in an early arm-wrestle, neither prepared to blink. Thabiso ‘Mukoko’ Sithole nearly tilted the day in Rangers’ favour on the half-hour, gliding past his marker before rattling the crossbar with a venomous effort.
Wanderers responded with menace. Malwande Gwebu, unmarked in the 37th minute, went agonisingly close as his effort skimmed past the upright.
Moments later, Siphamandla Dhlamini scuffed a promising chance, his shot lacking conviction when belief was required.
Then came the moment that mattered. In the 43rd minute, Rangers’ top scorer struck again. A loose ball, a predator’s instinct and Gamedze tapped home his 11th league goal, decisive, ruthless and inevitable.
Wanderers almost found an instant reply when Gwebu struck the woodwork on the stroke of half-time, the sound of the ball against the frame summing up a season of near-misses.
The second half brought desperation and drama. Sithole was felled on the edge of the area early on, his resulting free kick smartly saved by Wanderers keeper Mario Jamine. Zenzele Dlamini shuffled his pack, introducing Nhlanhla Vilane as his side searched for a spark.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
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